Behind The Tracks: Element Of Fate - Night Winds (Single) (2023)

"Night Winds" is a song delving into themes of loss, betrayal, sorrow, and redemption. The narrative follows a woman who flees into the forest after a quarrel with her lover. Overwhelmed by pain and anger, she seeks the wisdom of the night winds and the ancient spirits of her ancestors. She longs for a love that has faded with time and grapples with finding bravery during her darkest moments. She seeks to make amends for her transgressions and relearn the art of forgiveness. Bearing a heavy heart, she submits herself to the night and undergoes a transformation into a spectral spirit demon, destined to wander the forest for eternity. In the hour of the wolf, she discovers a new life, love, forgiveness, and rebirth in the realm of the deceased.

The concept and story for "Night Winds" came from my grappling with depression and self-doubt for years. It delves into human emotions, exploring my inner struggles and the feelings that arise when one's heart is weighed down to the point where it feels impossible to move forward. Life's challenges can be overwhelming, leading to emotions of self-doubt, lack of self-worth, frustration, anger, and loneliness, and the desperate plea for help when there's no one to turn to. Despite almost giving up, one manages to make necessary sacrifices, displaying resilience and strength to rise above these feelings and reclaim the night. Emerging on the other side reborn and stronger than ever, suddenly, the night belongs to the individual, who can and will achieve anything.

Inspired by the story of "Night Winds”, I sought to create a captivating artwork that featured a strong, simple design with a vintage Art Nouveau feel. I aimed to give the design itself an antique quality while incorporating elements from the song, such as the night sky, the moon, the wolf, and the weeping woman. From a graphic standpoint, I wanted the artwork to be bold and somewhat simplistic, ensuring it would display well as a small thumbnail, like those used on Spotify and other streaming services. My intention was for the piece to have a mystical appearance with boldly graphic lines. I chose to use a washed watercolor effect for the colored areas as a nod to some of my favorite Art Nouveau works and to provide a soft contrast to the bold linework. It was important to me that the artwork maintained a consistent style with the other pieces I created for each single, ensuring a cohesive collection. I designed these artworks as vector images so they can be easily scaled and repurposed. Conceptual works were also created for this song, which was used in crafting a video and may be included as artwork when we release our full-length album. All the art was digitally painted in Photoshop and then the line work was converted into vector art in Illustrator. https://elementoffate.bandcamp.com/track/night-winds